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She wasn’t happy, but she took him up on his offer. And he thought that everything was going well untilthatday.
That morning he’d been offered a small gig for the day that would earn him enough cash to afford more of the baby stuff they needed. Sure, Chess had told him that she was experiencing a little pain, but it wasn’t bad enough for her to head to the hospital and Senia was there. He’d thought that he could duck out for an hour or two, get the job done, then get to the hospital in time to help with the birth of their child.
Somehow, he ended up partying. And as sometimes happens, the partying led to jail. If it was any other day, he probably would’ve made it out of jail in time for the birth. But it was a Saturday and he had no one to bail him out. He only got out on Monday.
By then Chess had already lost their baby, and he’d lost her.
Even now, he could feel a lump build in his throat and tears sting his eyes at the thought of their dead child. His gaze swept to Chess, who was currently preoccupied with her phone, and he had to wonder; if he hadn’t taken that job would they be together right now?
“Okay,” the doctor interrupted his morose thoughts. “Everything looks good, but let us know if you get any dizzier or experience more pain.”
“Will do.” Tazeem nodded.
With a last nod to Chess, the doctor left the room. And finally, the ex-couple was alone.
Instant tension crackled in the room when her eyes met his.
“So-” Tazeem broke the tense silence. “What are you doing here?”
“Confirming that you’re not dead.” She sneered. “Pity!”
He laughed. “Tell the truth. Your boss forced you to come here, didn’t he?”
She didn’t answer him for a long time. Then she slouched into her seat like a petulant child and huffed angrily. “Yeah, he wants me to apologize to you.”
“So do it.” He taunted, “Apologize.”
“Only if you promise to go jump off a building,” she retorted with barely restrained anger. “You’re the one who needs to apologize for manipulating things and forcing your way into my life again.”
“Yes, all that… but I’m the one who ended up in a hospital bed.” Smirking, he added, “And I’m the one who now holds your fate in my hands. If you want to keep Le Stride’s account, I suggest you listen to your boss and apologize.”
Her furious eyes roved his face. “And if I don’t.”
“Hmm.” He tapped his chin. “Who should I call first? Your boss, or my guys to let them know that the contract is terminated?”
Anyone else would’ve seen this as the moment to surrender. But Chess was not easily cowered.
She stood then walked closer until she was right next to the bed. Her eyes were on the IV bag.
“What are you looking at that?” he asked.
“I’m just trying to figure out how much of this thing I need to release to kill you, and how long it would take before you kicked the bucket. If you’re dead, you can’t mess with my livelihood.” She offered him a bloodthirsty smile. “Should we race? Let’s see how many calls you can make before you die.”
Rather than feel threatened, Tazeem was amused.
This was the Chess he remembered. The Chess he loved.
His laughter echoed in the room, but it was promptly followed by a sharp stabbing pain in his temple. He winced at the pain and cupped his head with both hands.
Concern immediately overwhelmed Chess’s anger. She quickly moved to him. Worry in her eyes, she bent over him and pressed her over his right hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah.” He closed his eyes until the pain retreated. It was only once the pain was gone that he realized how close she was to him.
Instinct immediately took over. He removed his hands from his face, dislodging her hand in the process. But before she could move away, he grabbed her wrist then yanked her forward. The result; she sprawled right over him.
“Tazeem,” she squealed.
But before she could get another word in, he gripped her nape, brought her head directly over his, and did what he’d wanted to do since the moment he’d seen her this morning. He kissed her.
